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Words of Hope: 13-Year-Old Writes About Her Illness to Inspire Others

September 9,
2016
| Nicole Hurley; excerpted from Thrivent magazine

Not that long ago, Thrivent member Lily Pederson of Springfield, Ohio, loved riding
her bike, blowing bubbles and playing on swing sets with her sister, Kate. But that
all changed shortly after her 10th birthday.

Suddenly, Lily found herself extremely tired. She began experiencing severe pain
in both of her legs and developed an unusual sensitivity to light.

What the doctors originally mistook for mono was actually an uncommon and chronic
disorder – Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS, which causes
an abnormal heart rate when the body changes position.

"It was scary," Lily recalls. "Suddenly, I didn't know where I'd end up."

Lily's sickness forces her to take more than 20 pills a day and to stay home from
field trips, birthday parties and holidays with family. Last school year, she missed
135 days of class.

Wanting to help others understand POTS, Lily wrote a book called My Life with
POTS, and Kate illustrated it.

Lily's family used a Thrivent
Action Team to raise money to help publish the first 100 copies. Matt Buehrer,
the Pedersons' Thrivent Financial representative, personally donated enough money
for another 250 to be printed.

"When I see Lily, I see someone who's had to grow up very fast," Matt says. "In
spite of her illness, her maturity, compassion and care for others is beyond inspiring."

So far, about 1,000 copies of Lily and Kate's book have been distributed to doctors'
offices locally and nationwide. Donations from the book's distribution have raised
more than $4,000 for POTS research.

Lily, now 13, manages a POTS teen support group on Facebook. She attended a POTS
conference last summer in Washington, D.C., where she also lobbied Congressional representatives
to call attention to the disorder. She helps her mom run the website, StandingUptoPOTS.org.

Through all of the pain and fatigue, Lily constantly reminds herself and those
around her to keep smiling.

"When you stay positive, you'll eventually find that piece of the puzzle that clicks,"
she says. "If you have POTS, hang in there. I'm not alone and neither are you."

Financial assistance benefits

Thrivent Financial offers a unique member benefit that provides under age 16 who
are considered uninsurable. Read how one family used this benefit to purchase
life insurance for their son.

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